Debian GNU/Linux: Guide to Installation and Usage

The Guide for Linux

Introduction

We're glad to have this opportunity to introduce you to Debian! As we
begin our journey down the road of GNU/Linux, we'd like to first talk a
bit about what exactly Debian is - what it does, and how it fits in with
the vast world of Free Software. Then, we talk a bit about the phenomenon
that is Free Software and what it means for Debian and you. Finally, we
close the chapter with a bit of information about this book itself.



What Is Debian?

Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating
system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer
run. At the core of an operating system is the kernel. The kernel is the
most fundamental program on the computer: It does all the basic
housekeeping and lets you start other programs. Debian uses the Linux
kernel, a completely free piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and
supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. A large part of the basic
tools that fill out the operating system come from the GNU Project, and
these tools are also free.

Another facet of an operating system is application software: programs
that help get work done, from editing documents to running a business to
playing games to writing more software. Debian comes with more than 1,500
packages (precompiled software bundled up in a nice format for easy
installation on your machine) - all for free.

The Debian system is a bit like a pyramid. At the base is Linux. On top of
that are all the basic tools, mostly from GNU. Next is all the application
software that you run on the computer; many of these are also from GNU.
The Debian developers act as architects and coordinators - carefully
organizing the system and fitting everything together into an integrated,
stable operating system: Debian GNU/Linux.

The design philosophy of GNU/Linux is to distribute its functionality into
small, multipurpose parts. That way, you can easily achieve new
functionality and new features by combining the small parts (programs) in
new ways. Debian is like an erector set: You can build all sorts of things
with it.

When you're using an operating system, you want to minimize the amount of
work you put into getting your job done. Debian supplies many tools that
can help, but only if you know what these tools do. Spending an hour
trying to get something to work and then finally giving up isn't very
productive. This guide will teach you about the core tools that make up
Debian: what tools to use in certain situations and how to tie these
various tools together.

Who Creates Debian?

Debian is an all-volunteer Internet-based development project. There are
hundreds of volunteers working on it. Most are in charge of a small number
of software packages and are very familiar with the software they package.

These volunteers work together by following a strict set of guidelines
governing how packages are assembled. These guidelines are developed
cooperatively in discussions on Internet mailing lists.

A Multiuser, Multitasking Operating System

As we mentioned earlier in section 1.1, the design of Debian GNU/Linux
comes from the Unix operating system. Unlike common desktop operating
systems such as DOS, Windows, and MacOS, GNU/Linux is usually found on
large servers and multiuser systems.

This means that Debian has features those other operating systems lack. It
allows a large number of people to use the same computer at once, as long
as each user has his or her own terminal.1.1 To permit many users to work
at once, Debian must allow many programs and applications to run
simultaneously. This feature is called multitasking.

Much of the power (and complexity) of GNU/Linux systems stems from these
two features. For example, the system must have a way to keep users from
accidentally deleting each other's files. The operating system also must
coordinate the many programs running at once to ensure that they don't all
use the same resource, such as a hard drive, at the same time.

If you keep in mind what Debian was originally designed to do, many
aspects of it will make a lot more sense. You'll learn to take advantage
of the power of these features.

What Is Free Software?

When Debian developers and users speak of ``Free Software,'' they refer to
freedom rather than price. Debian is free in this sense: You are free to
modify and redistribute it and will always have access to the source code
for this purpose. The Debian Free Software Guidelines describe in more
detail exactly what is meant by ``free.'' The Free Software Foundation,
originator of the GNU Project, is another excellent source of information.
You can find a more detailed discussion of free software on the Debian web
site. One of the most well-known works in this field is Richard M.
Stallman's essay, Why Software Should Be Free; take a look at it for some
insight into why we support Free Software as we do. Recently, some people
have started calling Free Software ``Open Source Software''; the two terms
are interchangable.

You may wonder why would people spend hours of their own time writing
software and carefully packaging it, only to give it all away. The answers
are as varied as the people who contribute.

Many believe in sharing information and having the freedom to cooperate
with one another, and they feel that free software encourages this. A long
tradition that upholds these values, sometimes called the Hacker1.2 Ethic,
started in the 1950s. The Debian GNU/Linux Project was founded based on
these Free Software ethics of freedom, sharing, and cooperation.

Others want to learn more about computers. More and more people are
looking for ways to avoid the inflated price of proprietary software. A
growing community contributes in appreciation for all the great free
software they've received from others.

Many in academia create free software to help get the results of their
research into wider use. Businesses help maintain free software so they
can have a say in how it develops - there's no quicker way to get a new
feature than to implement it yourself or hire a consultant to do so!
Business is also interested in greater reliability and the ability to
choose between support vendors.

Still others see free software as a social good, democratizing access to
information and preventing excessive centralization of the world's
information infrastructure. Of course, a lot of us just find it great fun.

Debian is so committed to free software that we thought it would be useful
if it was formalized in a document of some sort. Our Social Contract
promises that Debian will always be 100% free software. When you install a
package from the Debian main distribution, you can be sure it meets our
Free Software Guidelines.

Although Debian believes in free software, there are cases where people
want to put proprietary software on their machine. Whenever possible
Debian will support this; though proprietary software is not included in
the main distribution, it is sometimes available on the FTP site in the
non-free directory, and there is a growing number of packages whose sole
job is to install proprietary software we are not allowed to distribute
ourselves.

It is important to distinguish commercial software from proprietary
software. Proprietary software is non-free software; commercial software
is software sold for money. Debian permits commercial software, but not
proprietary software, to be a part of the main distribution. Remember that
the phrase ``free software'' does not refer to price; it is quite possible
to sell free software. For more clarification of the terminology, see
http://www.opensource.org/or
http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/categories.html.

About This Book

This book is aimed at readers who are new to Debian GNU/Linux. It assumes
no prior knowledge of GNU/Linux or other Unix-like systems, but it does
assume very basic general knowledge about computers and hardware; you
should know what the basic parts of a computer are, and what one might use
a computer to do.

In general, this tutorial tries to help you understand what happens inside
a Debian system. The idea is to empower you to solve new problems and get
the most out of your computer. Thus there's plenty of theory and fun facts
thrown in with the ``How To'' aspects of the manual.

We'd love to hear your comments about this book! You can reach the authors
at debian-guide@complete.org. We're especially interested in whether it
was helpful to you and how we could make it better. Whether you have a
comment or think this book is the greatest thing since sliced bread,
please send us e-mail.

Please do not send the authors technical questions about Debian, because
there are other forums for that; see Appendix A on page [*] for more
information on the documentation and getting help. Only send mail
regarding the book itself to the above address.

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